What is the Via Dolorosa?

Answer

The Via Dolorosa, meaning “the sorrowful way,” is the traditional path in Jerusalem that our Lord traveled on the day of His crucifixion from the judgment seat of Pilate, also known as the Praetorium (Matthew 27:2-26), to the location of His crucifixion on Mount Calvary. Following His judgment by Pontius Pilate, the Lord Jesus was beaten, mocked, and spat upon by the Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:26-31). Subsequently, He was compelled to carry His own cross through the streets of Jerusalem to Golgotha, where He was crucified (Matthew 27:32-50). The Via Dolorosa is now identified by fourteen “stations of the cross” commemorating fourteen incidents that occurred along the way. At least five of these incidents are not documented in the Bible but originate from Roman Catholic tradition. Regarding the events mentioned in Scripture, such as the scourging (John 19:1-3) and the carrying of the cross by Simon of Cyrene «And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. », (Matthew 27:32), the exact locations along the way are unknown.

The Bible does not explicitly mention the Via Dolorosa. From Scripture, we only know that Jesus bore His cross from the Praetorium to the site on Mount Calvary where He was crucified. The precise locations of these two sites are uncertain, but the path between them was undeniably a sorrowful journey. The scourging and physical agony that the Lord Jesus endured paled in comparison to the anguish caused by the true burden He carried.

Jesus bore the burden—the weight of the sins of all believers. He carried our sins to the cross where He paid the penalty for them all.

As Easter draws near and Christians reflect on this holiest of seasons, we are reminded of what a precious gift our salvation is and the cost paid for it by the Lord Jesus. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” «But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. », (Isaiah 53:5). When we consider the pain and humiliation He endured for us, paying a price that we could never pay ourselves, we can’t help but praise and thank Him and dedicate ourselves to a life of obedience to Him.